Oil-pan-supporting bracket for motor vehicles



Fb.. 6,A T923.

o. E. FisHBURN.

OIL PAN SUPPORTING BRACKET FOR MOTOR VEHICLES FILED DEC. l5, T919 g1/wcmFoz OTTO E. FISHBURN j L Patented Feb. 6, ida

OTTO E. FSI-IBUEN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOP T0 GENERAL MOTORSCORIPORA- TION, 0F DETRGIT, MCHIGJ-llll, CORPORATION 0l? DELAWARE.

OIL-PAN-SUPPORTING BRACKET FOR Tll'llt VElCLllS.

Application filed December 15, 1919.

To all whom t may concern.'

Ee it known that l, O'rro E. Fisrreunu, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of New York, county of New York, and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Uil-Pan-Supporting` Brackets for Motor Vehicles, of which the following is afull, clear, concise, and exact description, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which the invention relates to make and use thesame, reference being made therein to the accompanying drawings, whichform a part of this specification.

My invent-ion relates t0 motor propelled vehicles, and particularly tothe fra Ae thereof and to the manner in which various elements of thevehicle, regarded in its entirety, are supported from the said frame.

The principal obj ect of my invention is to provide an improved scheinefor supportingthe oil pan commonly presentin motor vey hicles in placebeneath the engine or motor of the vehicle, and from the frame thereof.

A further object of my invention. is to provide an improved method ofsupporting the oil pan from the frame of the vehicle and in which asingle fastening member such as a bolt or rivet performs two distinct ilun ctions, one having to do with the suppm-tiir;y

of theV oil pan from the vehicle frame and the other with the securing,`of some other' element of the vehicle to the said frame.

A further object of my invention is to provide an improved oil pansupporting' bracket construction and arrangement., the bracket beingsecured to one of the side frame members of the vehicle frame and thefeatures being such that the oil pan may be readily assembled with andproperly supported from the frame of the vehicle through the use of aplurality of brackets made in accordance with my invention.

Various other objects will appear from the following description whereinthe preferred embodiment of my invention is iflescribed; altho it willbe appreciated that my invention includes all such variations :iu-lmodifica-tions of the particular embodiment thereof hereinafterdescribed in detail and illu:N trated in the drawing accompanying andforming a part of this specification as c me within the scope of theconcluding claims, wherein the particular features in which my inventionconsists are pointed out length.

Serial No. 344,905.

Figure 3 is a view showing` a section upon a transverse plane indicatedby the line IMB,

Figure l.

Figure et is a view showing a detail upon :i larger scale.

Figure 5 is a view showing` a section upon a plane corresiionding` withFigures 2 and but showing certain elements of my invention on largerscale.

Referring; to the drawing, the reference numerals il, 5 designate thetwo side frame nieniljiers of a motor vehicle frame; said members l i erillustrated as channel shaped in crosse-sei ion and mede up of upper andlower substantinlly lioriZontallyclisposed G, 7, S, 9, and verticallydisposed webs ll), ll extending` between said flanges, as best shown inFigures 2 and lt will be appreciated, howeven, that my inventionregarded in its broader aspect is quite independent of the particularform of the frame members employed, and that the same is applicable toframe members of any of the forms present in use in motor vehicleconstruction.

rEhe reference numerals 12 designate a plurality of oil pan supportingbrackets secured to the side frame members 4, 5, and which bracketsserve as supports for an oil pan i3 located beneath the engine or motor,of the vehicle and having; a substantially n v et L el ing along thelower of the two flanges of the side frame members; it being appreciatedthat all of the brackets are alike, so

' that a description of one of them will apply to all.

The oil pan supporting brackets are secured to the side members of thevehicle frame by means of fastening members such for example, as boltsor rivets extending through holes provided in the vertical portions ofthe brackets and in the web of the Side f'ames; and the fasteningmembers whereby the brackets are secured to .the frame members alsoserve in the case of some or all of the brackets to fasten otherelements of the vehicle to the side frame. Thus the reference numeral 16designates one of two fender supporting arms, the lower ends 17 of whichare secured to the side frame members by means of fastening members 18extending through holes provided in the vertical nortions of the forwardpair of brackets, and through holes in the webs of the frame members andalso in the lower ends of the supports 16; it being appreciated that asupport similar to the one shown will be located upo-n the other side ofthe vehicle, and secured to the frame member 5. lThe fastening members18 thus perform a double function in that they act to secure both thefender supports and the forward pair of brackets in place relative tothe side vframe members, thus avoiding the provision of holes in theside frame for the reception of fastening bolts for the fender supportin addition to holes for securing the oil pan supporting brackets inplace; a single hole, or holes should additional security be required.,thus serving to accommodate the fastening members which secure both themembers in question to the frame.

In the same way fastening bolts or rivets 19 extend through a singlehole or set of holes in the web of the frame, through holes in themiddle pair brackets, and through holes at the upper ends of runningboard supporting members 2O depending from the frame, a single fasteningmember or members thus serving to hold both a bracket and the runningboard supporting member located adjacent `and associated with it inplace relative to the frame member; while the rearmost pair of bracketsillustrated are secured in place and to 'the frame members byfasteningmembers 21 extending through holes provided in said ln'ackets`through holes in the frame member. and through holes in bearing members22, one only of which is shown, in which the ends of a transverselyextending brake operating or other shaft` may be supported.

lt will of course be appreciated that if more brackets are necessary tosupport the oil pan than there are auxiliary elements to be secured tothe side frame members the fastening bolts o r rivets for theexcessybrackets will perform one function only, that is the function ofsecuring the brackets to the frame members.

rlhe lower horizontal portions 15 of the brackets 12 extend beyond thefree edges of the lower flanges 7, 8, and are provided with holesthrough which supporting members shown as in the form of bolts 23extend; which bolts also extend through holes provided adjacent the sideedges of the upper flange portion of t-he oil pan and are provided withnuts 2e at their'lower ends, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, suitablewashers 25 being ordinarily interposed between the nuts and the oil pan.The side edges of the oil pan preferably extend beneath the flanges 7, 8as shown and Contact with the undersides of said flanges.

The fastening bolts 23 are preferably provided with nuts 26 which areprevented from turningl by thel adjacent side edges of the lower frameflanges, from which it follows that in assembling the brackets with theframe the bolts 28 may be screwed through the nuts26, and the nuts drawntightly against the undersides of t-he horizontal portions 15 of thebrackets; thus providing downwardly extending stationary threaded studsand enablingl the oil pan to be put in place from beneath and movedupward and into engagement with the studs,

vand then secured by screwing the nuts 241 in place, or removed by areverse operation. without in either case actuallv removing the boltsfrom the brackets. Lock washers 27 are commonly interposed between theheads of the bolts and thevupper surfaces ofthe horizontal portions ofthe brackets to thereby prevent the bolts from unscrewing after the nut26 has been drawn into firm contact with the undersides of the lowerarms of the brackets.

Having thus described and explained my invention, I claim and desire tosecure by Letters Patent:

1. In a motor vehicle, a side frame member having upper and lowersubstantially y horizontal flanges. and a vertically disposed webconnecting said flanges; an oil pan supporting bracket having ahorizontally disposed portion extending along the upper side of thelower of said' flanges andl bevond the edge thereof: a fastening` memberwhereby said bracket is secured to said frame member; an oil pansupporting bolt extending` through a hole provided in the free end ofthe horizontal portion of said bracket; and a nut through which saidbolt extends, and the periphery of which engages the free edge of saidlowermost horizontal flange.

2. ln a motor vehicle, a frame member having a flange; a bracket securedto said member and having a portion extending beyond the edge of saidflange; a bolt carried ideas 1o by the said extending portion ofthebracket; an oil pan supported upon the bolt; and a combined spacing andsecuring means mounted upon said bolt between the pan and the bracketand adapted to prevent displacement of the bolt 'from the bracket duringthe normal operation of removing and replacing the oil pan.

3. ln a motor vehicle; a side frame member having upper and lowersubstantially horizontal lianges; and a vertically disposed webconnecting said lianges; an oil pan supporting bracket having ahorizontally7 disposed portion extending` along the upper side of thelower of said flanges and beyond the edge thereof; a fastening memberwhereby said bracket is secured to said frame member; an oil pan theside edge of the upper end of which extends beneath the lower of theia-nges aforesaid and which oil pan is movable as a unitary structuredownward without interference by said frame member; an oil pansupporting bolt extending through holes provided in the free end of thehorizontal portion of said supporting bracket beyond "the free edgethereof and in said oil pan7 and a nut through which said bolt extends,and the periphery of which engages the free edge of said lowermosthorizontal flange.

e. ln a motor vehicle, a side frame niember having upper and lowersubstantially horizontal flanges, and a vertically disposed webconnecting said flanges; an oil pan supporting bracket having ahorizontally disposed portion extending along the upper side of thelower of said ianges and beyond the edge thereof; and a verticalextending portion; a fastening member extending` through holes in saidvertically7 extending portion and in said web; an oil pan supportingbolt extending through a hole/provided at the free end of the horizontalportion of said bracket; a. nut through which said bolt extends and theperiphery of which engages the free edge of said lowerinost horizontalflange; and an oil pan having an opening adj aeent its free side edgeand through which said oil pan supporting bolt extends to therebysupport said pan.

5. ln a motor vehicle, a side frame meinber having a lower substantiallyhorizontal flange, and a web; an oil pan supporting bracket secured tosaid web and extending along the upper side of said flange and beyondthe free edge thereof and provided with a hole adjacent its free end; anoil pan supporting bolt extending downwardly through the holemaforesaid; and a nut through which said bolt extends and which nutengages the edge of' said flange to thereby prevent it from rotatingupon said bolt.

ln testimony whereof l aflix my signature.-

OTTO E. FSHBURN.

